Birthday Getaway
by Malbara
Summary: Hey guys! I know it's been a while. I'm really sorry! I missed you so much! Here's a little something I wrote for Jessie and James. I got the idea of James owning parfum palace from this theory: /page/pokemon/5658231/pokemon-theory-does-james-own-parfum-palace. I thought it was pretty cool as weel as unlikely so I decided to make it true in my story.
1. A great idea!

It was a calm and warm evening at Viridian Forest. Jessie, James and Meowth were making their way to Pewter city with only one objective set on their minds; capture Pikachu. It was getting late and the three of them were as usual, tired and hungry; suddenly James had a brilliant idea.

\- "Hey Jessie I was thinking, since lately we've been so busy with work and next week is your birthday, maybe we could go stay the weekend in one of my summer cottages you know… like a mini vacation!"

\- "Huh? A short vacation… That sounds great James, in fact it's the best idea you've had in years!" Jessie said briskly; "it's been so long since I had a vacation from work, but, where can we go? We are banned in 13 different cities and towns remember?"

\- "Hmm I didn't think about that" James sounded disappointed but soon made up a new plan; "How about Parfum Palace in the Kalos region? It used to belong to the king of Kalos but my parents insisted on buying it years ago"

\- "We'll we've never seen any wanted posters with our faces there… and besides the Kalos region is such an artistic and romantic place. Oh I just can't wait!"

Jessie's eyes were sparkling at the idea of visiting all the beautiful places at Kalos. Images of the stylish boutiques, museums, cafes, restaurants and of course Prism Tower began to appear in her mind. James couldn't help but smile, he was used to seeing Jessie all mad about everything but it was times like this that made him think he made the right choice on joining team rocket after running away from home.

\- Say no more Jessie Jess, we are traveling to Kalos at the speed of light, James said with determination as the three of them quickly packed all their belongings into their hot air balloon

\- "Meowth, that's right!" Was the last thing that was heard in the forest followed by the view of a flashing star across the sky.

The trio traveled all day long since the distance between both regions was wide but finally, they saw land in the distance. The view was majestic and soon the lights of the city began to take shape as they got closer

\- "Hey boys look!" Jessie chirped, "We are almost there!"

They landed late at night, in the white soft sand of the beach of Cyllage City

\- "Well, I guess we'll have to camp here for the night" Jessie said thoughtful while staring at the playful gurgling waves of water that sparkled with the moonlight

They began to unpack their sleeping bags and some supplies, Jessie built a campfire and James cooked some berries that Meowth found for them to dine. They were eating their dinner sitting over a comfy quilt, feeling thankful that they didn't have to starve the night as usual while enjoying the fresh ocean breeze and the warmth of the crackling fire in front of them. Suddenly Jessie spoke

\- "Can we can visit Lumiose city?" she asked while chewing a berry "I've heard that trainers from the whole world gather there to enjoy the sight of the magnificent city… and you two know what that means?" an evil grin formed on her lips just after she swallowed her food Meowth and James looked at each other confused and to be honest, a little scared

\- "It means" Jessie continued, "that there's probably going to be tons of rare pokemon for us to steal just imagine how easy…"

\- "Wait a minute", Meowth interrupted her; "we are supposed to be on vacations!"

\- "He is right", James said, "that means NO work and NO stealing pokemon during our stay here Jessie"

\- "True…" Jessie sighted, "well at least if we go, we can get to enjoy the oh so famous city of love…" Jessie couldn't stop smiling dreamy as she imagined that she might be able to find her true love on their small trip, random images of handsome young doctors and athletic rich trainers flashed through her thoughts

\- "Hmm… Well I guess we can, but we'll see" James said while planning the trip in his mind

\- "Great! I can't wait" Jessie said while yawning, "My, I sure am tired, guess I'll be going to sleep already, good night you two"

Jessie stood up and walked a few meters to where they had set the sleeping bags, she opened a little purple bag from which she took out a comb and began to brush her long magenta hair until it was completely down, then she brushed her teeth and finally closed her blue eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Meowth and James stayed up for a little longer after that, James was strangely more thoughtful than usual, his green eyes were fixed at the starry sky but it was pretty obvious that his mind was wandering far from the beautiful scene of the beach

\- "James!" said Meowth for the third time and a little louder than required by the small distance between them

\- "Shh! You'll wake her up" James replied while covering Meowth's mouth and lowering his gaze to look at Jessie

\- "Ohhh…" Meowth uttered in understanding "so dats what this is all about"

\- "Huh? What are you talking about?" James answered nervously

\- "You arent foolin no one, Jimmy" Meowth said with a confident expression "It's clears as water that you like Jess"

\- "What are you talking about?" James sounded terrified "Jessie and I are best friends and I'm not in love with her"

\- "Sure Romeo, justs remember: Denial is the first stage" Meowth winked an eye and then jumped out of his spot to stand up "Anyways I'm tired too, see ya tomorrow. I can't waits to try all the different dishes of this region" Meowth said as he quickly tucked himself into his tiny sleeping bag near Jessie

Afterwards, James was left alone again with his thoughts, He didn't know how to explain his feelings towards Jessie but he surely knew that he wanted to be with her forever. He stood up, gathered some water from the sea to extinguish the fire and got into his sleeping bag.

It took longer for James to fall asleep, he wasn't as excited about the trip as his friends were, in fact, he had stay at Parfum Palace thousands of times when he was younger… but there was something that made him loose sleep, he couldn't get over the fact that he had finally done something to make Jessie happy and somehow he felt different about her… She seemed like a total different person without her nasty attitude… Was it possible that he was starting to like her like more than his eternal team mate after so many adventures they shared together? Sad moments, happy moments, scary moments… Was it possible that he had fallen in love with his best friend? Soon, and after a lot of thinking, James was asleep too.

\- "Wake up!" A shrill voice was the first thing James and Meowth perceived next morning, followed by the feeling of cold water on their whole bodies "we slept in and it's already late!" Jessie sounded angry again "we better get going or we will end up spending our whole vacation walking through these damn roads!"

Both James and Meowth stood up shivering "well, it was nice while it lasted" James thought to himself. Hours went by and the three of them struggled to arrive to Palais Lane where Parfum Palace was located. First they had trouble crossing the Zubat Roost and then they got lost somewhere at Route 7…

\- "Oh this is so disappointing" Jessie said as they walked across the Rivière Walk "at this pace we will never make it on time…"

James felt bad for Jessie so he finally thought about calling someone to come pick them up; he took out his Holo Caster and quickly dialed the number of one of his butlers

\- "Hi Fredrick, It's me James"

\- "Young master James! What a delightful surprise"

\- "With whom is he speaking?" Jessie asked Meowth concerned while watching him act as strange as usual

Both of them were trying to listen to the conversation but he wanted to surprise Jessie, so he ran away far from them leaving a confused and annoyed expression in their faces.

James was sitting on the top of a tree still speaking to Frederick

\- "Please Fredrick, me and my friends are going to stay the weekend at Parfum Palace but we are lost. Can you send one of the cars to pick us up? I guess we are still on route 7, somewhere near the Pokemon Day Care"

\- "Sure young master James, worry no more I'll be there very soon"

\- "Oh and Fredrick could you prepare our rooms please?"

James continued to give directions on what Jessie and Meowth would like to have in their rooms meanwhile his friends were still looking desperately for him

\- "James where are ya?!" Meowth shouted

\- "Ugh! James, just wait until I put my hands over you…" Jessie was not happy at all

Suddenly James appeared followed by a… Meowth and Jessie couldn't believe their eyes…


	2. Welcome home

Suddenly James appeared followed by a… Meowth and Jessie couldn't believe their eyes, it was a luxurious white limo from which Fredrick came out to open the door for the three of them

\- "James… it's, it's this yours too?" Jessie was speechless

\- "Of my parents… but we can use it, come on we need to arrive to Parfum Palace as soon as possible, thanks Fredrick!"

James was the first to get in the car followed by his two friends that were sure surprised. The interior of the limo was even fancier than its exterior, the seats were made of black leather; it had three T.V. screens, a mini bar, a stereo and lots of lights

And when Meowth got distracted by the food, drinks and videogames that were available on the screens Jessie finally spoke

\- "James…" Jessie said softly while her face slightly blushed

James who was looking at the scenery through one of the windows turned his face to see her sitting right beside him

\- "Yes Jessie?" He looked surprised to see her blushing

\- "I, I just wanted to tell you that this has been an amazing birthday, in fact, the best I've ever had and it's all thanks to you" she then kissed his check leaving him very surprised, blushed and smiling dumbly.

Suddenly Fredrick interrupted

\- "We have arrived" he told them as the huge gold gate decorated with powerful Serperiors forging opened heavily in front of the limo to provide them access.

They got off the car and were soon surrounded by the beauty of the Palace's gardens; Jessie and Meowth were astonished while James was not impressed at all

After what seemed like half an hour of travel, the three of them walked in, Jessie's and Meowth's eyes were still glowing at the sight of the beautiful corridors and the gorgeous golden Milotic statue that was in front of them

Fredrick was soon gone after politely asking them to make themselves at home and to not hesitate on asking him for anything they needed

\- "James this place is amazing!" Jessie said, eyes glowing

\- "Yeah Jimmy I've never been surrounded by such luxury in any of my nine lives"

Jessie and Meowth couldn't stop looking at every corner of the Palace's living hall with childlike excitement

\- "I'm glad you like it" James said with a triumphant smile and a somewhat conceited tone in his voice, now let's go to our rooms to unpack

The palace was huge so there was no need for them to share rooms as they were used to do it in the past, this time each one of them stayed in one room individually that was previously equipped according to their necessities and tastes

James arrived to his room and opened the huge blue and gold door that was in front of him, once inside he started unpacking his backpack as it was his only luggage; he placed his clean clothes over his king size bed and looked around his room

Meowth's room was full of balls of yarn for him to play, a fluffy bed and tons of cat food.

Jessie's room was every girl's dream, a king sized comfortable bed in the middle of the room, a window with a gorgeous view to the beautiful gardens that was almost the size of the whole wall, a mini fridge filled with ice cream of her favorite flavors (Yes, James remembered her love for "snow food"), a huge T.V. screen and tons of love and comedy movies, a mirror and make up, a closet full of gorgeous dresses and shoes, but definitely her favorite part was the bathroom that looked more like a spa, it was equipped with a huge bathtub, a Jacuzzi, a sauna, tons of beauty products for her to have fun with…

She quickly got into the tub to enjoy a warm bath; it was what she craved the most, a little relief to her tired muscles and nerves

\- "Oh this feels amazing" she said as she sank her face until her eyes on the warm rose scented water I" can't believe this was James birthday gift, oh… He truly has a heart of gold"

Suddenly a white vintage telephone rang interrupting her bath; she stood up angrily and wrapped herself in a big soft towel to attend the call

\- "Listen, this must be good, I was taking the best bath of my life and you interrupted it so speak fast. What do you want?" She was almost screaming not caring about who was on the other side of the call

James blushed at the thought of Jessie taking a bath and proceeded to speak nervously

\- "Jess, I… uhm… just wanted to tell you that they'll be serving dinner downstairs for us in about an hour"

Jessie immediately felt bad about shouting at James after all he had done for her and besides he was just being kind enough to invite her to dinner

\- "Oh, James! Well, thanks…" She sounded ashamed "see you in a while then" she quickly ended the call

She then proceed to finish cleaning herself, when she was finished she put on a pink bath robe, turned on the T.V. and laid on the soft bed while she ate some vanilla ice cream, she felt like a spoiled princess

\- "Hmmm, Things couldn't get any better" she sighted happily while leaning in the soft silk pillows

But then again she was interrupted, this time, by a knock on her door; she stood and was sure surprised to see two old ladies at her door

\- "Bonne nuit Miss, we are here to help you get dressed for dinner" one of them said smiling sweetly

\- "Huh? What do you mean? I can put on my uniform by my own" Jessie sounded offended

\- "Oh dear, you sure are funny, the other one laughed, come on you don't really think those clothes are appropriate for the occasion do you?"

\- "What are you talking about? we are just going to eat" Jessie was starting to run out of patience

\- "It's not just dinner, it's an special occasion, we are celebrating young master James' return, it's been so long since he had been home and besides you and that lovely cat are his special guests so you might like to look your best"

Jessie sighted, James family was sure weird; she ended up giving up as she knew that those women won't leave her alone until she agreed on getting all dressed up just to have dinner with James and Meowth, she stood aside to let them in

\- "Okay dear, first you need to choose a dress"

Jessie walked to the closet and slid it open, she was surely surprised to see such beautiful dresses, it was so hard to pick one but she ended u choosing a dark blue backless mermaid gown and a pair of silver heels

\- "Wonderful choice Miss! Now let's work on your hair and makeup, you sure have wonderful skin and a beautiful natural hair color!"

Jessie was so happy to be in a place where someone finally recognized her natural beauty; she sat down and relax while the two ladies did her hair and makeup

\- "Voilà!" One of the ladies said as she handled Jessie a mirror, You look gorgeous

\- "Ahhh, I look beautiful if I do say so myself!" Jessie's eyes were sparkling at her own sight in the mirror "thank you very much girls!"

\- "Welcome dear, we are happy you liked it" both of them said while laughing at the fact that Jessie called them "girls"

Soon the ladies were gone leaving a happy Jessie just waiting for dinner time to arrive.

* * *

Meanwhile on James room…

\- "Fredrick this is stupid! I don't see why I need to get all dressed up just to eat dinner at my kind-of own house!" Said an annoyed James

\- "Young master James, please this is a special occasion we are celebrating your comeback so put on your suit"

\- "If this is a celebration for ME then just let ME go downstairs to have my dinner dressed as whatever I want"

Fredrick sighted, but then had an idea… after clearing his throat he said with a grin

\- "How about that beautiful lady that came with you? Don't you want to look your best for her? "

\- "Huh Jessie? Don't be ridiculous Fredrick, Jessie is my best friend and she couldn't care less about what I wear"

\- "Oh, women always care about a man's presentation so just put on the suit!"

\- "I won't wear a suit and that's the end of that"

Fredrick looked annoyed at James' childish attitude when suddenly he had a brilliant idea

\- "Young master James look! Someone is stealing your beloved bottle cap collection!" Fredrick said faking horror and pointing at the window

\- "Huh? Where? Who?"

James looked immediately to the direction Fredrick was pointing and while he was distracted the man somehow managed to get James into the suit

\- "Ugh, I feel like a clown" James sighted as a victorious Fredrick left the room

Meowth wasn't easy to get dressed either all that could be seen at his room was a young maid chasing the cat around with a bow in her hands and a tired expression on her face but soon she managed to put the bow around Meowth's neck by blackmailing him with a lifetime provision of cat food.

Finally dinner time arrived, Meowth and James walked out of their rooms feeling ashamed about their looks and when they saw each other they couldn't help but burst out laughing; soon they both relaxed, by far it was not the worst thing that they had to do against their will and besides they were just the three of them, there was no need to impress anyone.

James and Meowth were already sitting at the ridiculous big table but Jessie had not arrived yet

\- "Where is she? I'm starving!" Meowth sighted

James was not desperate for the food but for her! Was it possible that he missed her? It had only been a few hours since the last time they saw each other and minutes since the last time they spoke

Suddenly they heard the clacking sound of Jessie's footsteps so they both turned their heads to see her standing at the edge of the elegant staircase made out of black marble

\- "Hey boys!" Jessie waved at them happily as she made her way downstairs

James and Meowth were speechless, she looked gorgeous wearing her long blue dress and her hair as a beautiful red cascade of low curls, but most important… she was for once in her life, not attempting to kill one or both of her teammates.

James immediately stood up and pulled out the chair for her to take a seat next to him, Meowth noticed and thought about bullying his friend about it later when dinner was over, Jessie laughed lightly as she sat down. Soon Fredrick and a group of butlers began to serve plates of food for them; everything looked delicious and tasted even better

None of them could remember the last time they'd eaten so well. Once they finished eating they went back to their rooms as it was already late, Meowth fell asleep quickly after dinner while James was at his room thinking about… Jessie?

He couldn't get out of his mind how beautiful she looked tonight, funny how through all of those years of knowing each other he never noticed her deep blue eyes, her pale skin and her so perfect female figure… James was going crazy about how weird looking at his best friend that way felt while lying in his bed wearing only a pair of grey pajama pants when suddenly, a lightning struck followed by the sound of a loud thunder

The storm was strong and lightening was constantly illuminating the whole sky, Jessie was at her room watching a movie in a fail attempt of avoiding the fear that was starting to range deep inside her, since she was little she had been afraid of storms.

Then, after the strike of a lightning, the power went out; all that could be seen afterwards was darkness

Jessie let out a sharp cry and almost immediately James was at her door with a candle on his hands, he opened it violently

\- "Jessie what's wrong why are you screaming?"

Once he saw her curled up on her bed under the blankets his defensiveness changed to sweetness

\- "Hey Jess, it's okay" he said softly as he removed the blanket

Jessie to James' surprise, was crying; it was weird for him to watch his big tough friend acting like a scared little girl just because of a storm but he though she looked so cute

\- "I promise everything´s going to be fine, it's only rain and we are safe here inside the house" he kept speaking while he wiped her tears and stroked her hair

By the time, James was already sitting in her bed and Jessie was sitting beside him with her head lying on his chest, she hated to admit it but she always felt safe when James was around, after all he was the only person in the whole world that had never let her down nor alone, even when she mistreat him all the time

\- "I'm sorry for acting this way, it's just… I've always been scared of storms since I was a little girl and darkness… it only makes it worst"

\- "Hey its okay, you don't need to apologize…"

Suddenly, a lightning struck again interrupting James words and causing even a louder thunder to which Jessie jumped terrified right into James' arms; he hugged her tighter which only made him feel wanted and needed. James chuckled, how was it possible for her to be such a strong woman and at the same time so scared and vulnerable?

When all the commotion was over, they stared at each other confused and then laughed shyly as they noticed how close their bodies actually were but their laughter was followed by an awkward silence that lasted at least for a pair of minutes when only the sound of rain hitting the roof of the mansion was heard

\- "James…" Jessie said softly breaking the silence "would you mind sleeping with me… just for tonight?"

James blushed violently, he sure was not expecting that request, of course they had slept together in the past but only because the situation demanded it for example when there was not enough room or when they camp but always on separated sleeping bags. Either way this was an opportunity he was not going to waste


	3. Feelings

…Either way this was an opportunity he was not going to waste

\- "Sure Jess" he answered trying his best to keep calm

Jessie moved to make room for him and they both lay on the bed together. James couldn't help but stare at Jessie; she was wearing her hair down, an oversized baggy white t-shirt and her pink panties were slightly showing. James thought to himself that she looked both cute and sexy but quickly cut it out, even though he didn't considered himself a gentle man, she was his best friend! She had trusted him and he couldn't allow himself to have such thoughts about her and despite the fact that he was dying to grab her, kiss her, feel her… never, not even in that situation he would take advantage of her.

His thoughts were interrupted when Jessie hugged him again; he smiled and pulled her tighter against his chest noticing that she was almost asleep; it was until then that he got the nerve to speak again

\- "It's okay doll don't be afraid" he cooed

Usually Jessie would've complained about him calling her "doll" and probably would've smacked him but this night was different, she was oddly enjoying James' company too much and he liked the idea of him taking care of her for once and not the other way around as usual...

They both fell asleep cuddled together thinking about nothing but how good that felt. Next morning James woke up to find the bed empty, he suddenly felt anxious about Jessie's absence but calmed down as soon as he saw her getting out of the bathroom wearing once again the pink bath robe and her wet hair up in a bun.

\- "Finally you are awake" she smiled as she let her hair down and began to comb it

\- "Good morning Jessie, did you sleep well?" He asked with a shy smile on his lips, he couldn't help but think she was gorgeous

\- "Sure thing, I'm glad the storm is over!" She laughed while looking at him through the dressing table mirror

And sure it was, sun was shining bright outside… then someone knocked the door

\- "Come in" Jessie shouted, hoping it was room service with some yummy breakfast

\- "Morning yous two" the talking pokemon came in, unaware of the situation "James I'm starving could you get someone to prepare breakfast for us?"

His two friends stared at him confused, not knowing what to say when suddenly Meowth realized something…

\- "Oh… I see what's happening here" the small cat said with a grin "yous two slept together" he chanted "guess I'll just leave you lovebirds alone, ta ta"

\- "Lovebirds?" Jessie and James exclaimed at the same time confused looking at each other

Meowth was soon gone leaving both of them in an awkward situation…

\- "Well, in fact I'm kind of hungry too, guess I'll just go have breakfast with Meowth" Jessie said with a nervous laugh

\- Oh, sure… guess I'll take a bath and then I'll join you; just ask Fredrick to prepare both of you something… James didn't even lifted his gaze from the floor

Jessie got dressed and James was long gone to his room to prepare for the day. While he was showering, he couldn't stop thinking about Jessie. He couldn't quite explain his feelings but he was anxious to see her again, the previous night he felt something different… could he be in love with Jessie? Sure she was mean and extremely easily annoyed, but he knew her better than no one, he knew her past and how hard it was… He also knew that deep inside she was a sensitive girl that just needed someone to understand her and love her for who she truly is.

He finished showering and got dressed; he chose some dark blue crew shorts and a tan t shirt, as they were on vacation there was no need for him to wear his uniform. After that he made his way downstairs and stepped right into the dining room where he found his friends arguing while checking out a region map

\- "We should visit Snowbelle City today, nothing would make me happier than eating food made of snow mama style" said Jessie remembering her childhood

\- "Are you kidding? Of course not, I want REAL food, let's visit Coumarine City

\- - "How dare you mess with mama's food! Take that back! You insensitive ball of fur!" Jessie argued

James sighted, "fighting as always he thought"…

\- "Morning guys" he said cheerless

\- "James, tell Meowth we are going to Snowbelle!"

\- "No way! James, tell Jessie we are going to Anistar!"

James could hear them fighting but wasn't paying much attention to their arguing, instead he took a seat, Fredrick immediately served him a plate of berry pancakes and he ate while observing the map… After having a sip of his coffee he spoke

\- "See guys, both, Snowbelle AND Anistar city are way too far… we would have to travel all day long and we would arrive there really late" James explained "Why don't we go to Camphrier town? It's nearer, food is awesome and there are lots of things to see and do!" He suggested happily

\- "Camphrier town?" Jessie and Meowth looked at each other and blinked a couple of times

\- "Well as long as da food is good it's fines with Meowth"

Jessie read a brief description of the town:

"A town where you can taste the ages"

Shabboneau Castle, a hotel, more than 50 cafeterias, 25 boutiques, 2 shopping malls, a beautiful vineyard located at route 7, only 30 minutes away from town…

\- "Well, it looks pretty descent, its fine with me, let's go! " Jessie said enthusiastically, she only cared about the shopping malls and boutiques…

When they finished their breakfast they prepared for the journey, Fredrick offered to take them in the limo but they preferred to walk, after all, the limo was too big and flashy. Then they remembered that it was a two hour ride so they changed their minds…

\- "Actually Fredrick would you mind if I borrow the Jeep?

James drove, Jessie took the passenger seat and Meowth curled on the back seat glad he had all that space for himself…

\- "Nice driving" Jessie said

\- "I should get a license" James answered

Soon they arrived; they parked at the outskirts and made their way through the small medieval town

First, they went to Main Square that was located exactly in the heart of the village. It was a beautiful plaza; the cobbled streets, the medieval fountain, everything was gorgeous! They took some pictures and bought some ice cream but soon got bored

\- "This is nice and all but I'm bored. Guys, let's do something else!" Jessie complained as she lay on a bench looking at the sky, watching the few clouds pass by the clear blue sky …

\- "Yeah I'm bored too"

James was feeding some wild ducklett before shifting his body to face his friends

\- "Mhhh… we could go to Shabboneau Castle…" he said hesitating

\- "Let's go!" Jessie grabbed his hand and carried Meowth under her arm before she ran out of everyone's gaze dragging her friends towards the castle

When they arrived they realized a guided tour was about to begin, they joined the group of people and walked through the castle while listening to the tour guide speak

… and here we can see the poke flute, it was borrowed by the champion Briea and her friends Shauna, Tierno, Trevor and Calem to awake a Snorlax that was causing trouble to our town… Jessie couldn't care less about what the girl was saying

\- "James, I'm tired of this. Let's go explore on our own!" She suggested with an evil grin

\- "Jessie, I don't think that's a good idea… it's against the rules to leave the group…"

\- "Oh come on! Since when do we care about the rules? We are criminals for a living, remember? We are the bad guys!" Jessie interrupted him, slightly laughing

After a sigh James agreed; soon they parted from the group of lame tourists and walked through the corridors.

They arrived to a door that read: keep out! And as it was to be expected, the door was locked. Jessie took a hair pin off her hair and easily opened it, it was a treasure room! They stared at each other and smiled widely; they didn't stole anything but played around for a while pretending they were rich

\- "I'm a queen!" Jessie said, smiling wearing a crown she found and lots of jewelry

\- "Yeah… my queen, and soon Kalo's queen!" He answered enthusiastically

Jessie blushed

\- "Your queen…" She mumbled staring at the floor

James blushed as well after mentally processing what he had just said and they suddenly became silent for a while. Jessie tried to break the awkwardness by changing the subject…

\- "What would you do if you really owned all of this money, James?" She asked in a low voice

\- "Hmm… well first, I would buy all the instant food available in every single market, then I'd probably travel to Alola region and enjoy the paradisiacal islands in the most luxurious way possible; Also, I would save some of it for when I'm old and finally I would quit Team Rocket…" His eyes shining with trill

Jessie's heart skipped a beat… quitting Team Rocket?

\- "And I would buy a house with you afterwards…" James became serious

\- "Well, that would be nice…" She answered, shocked due to his last words

Jessie didn't knew what to say, she knew that James would stay with her during their time as teammates and through their missions, but she sure was not expecting him to want to stay with her after their time as Team Rocket agents was over

\- "Jessie I…" James began, his voice trembling "I know that sounded kind of weird but you are my home" he smiled and looking into her eyes he continued "I can hardly imagine my life without you, we are a family you me and Meow…"

Jessie interrupted his words cutting the distance between them, they lips met for the first time. James' eyes flashed widely open but after a couple of blinks he relaxed, his eyes closed just as hers while both enjoyed the brief but deep kiss

When they broke apart, Jessie couldn't stand her shame, she couldn't even look at him; her blue eyes filled with horror

\- "James! Oh James I'm really sorry, I shouldn't…."

He interrupted her with another kiss…

\- "Why do you apologize if you know I want this as well?" he mumbled against her lips

Their kissing became deeper as they got lost into each other

* * *

Meanwhile…

\- "Now, follow me to the kitchen the guide said to the group"

Meowth hadn't noticed the absence of his friends; he was too busy following the crowd to the kitchen where a group of chefs gave everyone a cup of chocolat chaud.

Soon the tour was over and Meowth was alone wandering through the palace looking for Jessie and James…

\- "Man that chocolate was great, but it made me hungry" The cat pokemon whimpered "Where could've those two went?"

* * *

Jessie felt a warm hand running up her thigh while an eager James wasn't even trying to control himself

\- "James, stop!" She cried

He stopped immediately after realizing what he was about to do; then he stared right into her eyes just to see confusion, fear…

\- "Sorry… too fast?" he asked in a raspy voice

She nodded; James couldn't believe it, he had imagined that due to Jessie's strong and passionate character she would be anxious to take things to the next level but instead she was shy and intimidated… He just hugged her

\- "We better get going, probably Meowth is looking for us" she whispered against his chest

He agreed and after he kissed her forehead both of them left the treasure room, soon they found Meowth.

They made a poor excuse to justify their absence and even though Meowth didn't believed them when Jessie said "We got lost" at the same time as James said "We got kidnapped by ninja zombies" He just cared about finding somewhere to have lunch because "He was starving"

They found a café near a lake so they went in and ordered lunch. Jessie was eating her sandwich au jambon de dinde and Meowth was too busy munching on his frites while James was too nervous to eat. After his kiss with Jessie, she was all of what he could think about, Meowth didn't let go of the opportunity so he ate his AND James' food

Their small talk was suddenly interrupted when James' holocaster rang, it was Jessebelle…

\- "Dear why didn't you called me and told me you were here to see me?" She exclaimed with her annoying accent "I'm currently with your parents on vacation on a cruise but I'll take the first flight back home, I'll be there tomorrow in the afternoon see you soon love" She laughed before ending the call that left James frozen

\- "Who was it?" Jessie asked after taking a slurp of her jus d'orange

James didn't want to let Jessie know that it was his crazy fiancé so he lied to her…

\- "It was Fredrick, he uhm… wanted to know… at what time we will be back" He said nervously

\- "Huh? Oh ok…" She answered carelessly

They finished their food and spend a little more time walking through town, they made a little shopping in some boutiques but soon it was late and time to go back home. They got in the Jeep and drove back to the palace

When they arrived to the palace it was already late but they were not tired yet so they decided to watch a movie. They sat on the leather couch and turned on the TV; Meowth chose the movie while James went to the kitchen and grabbed some microwave pizza rolls for them to dine as Fredrick and the rest of the personnel were already sleeping.

The movie about super heroes and villains; Jessie and Meowth were absorbed by the movie but James couldn't stop staring at Jessie, she looked gorgeous in her chill clothes. He would give the world to sleep with her again but he wasn't sure if making a move would be appropriate, after all she stopped him from going further that evening after their kissing, he thought about hugging her but it was impossible since Meowth was sitting between both of them…

When the movie was over Meowth was already asleep on the couch, Jessie was already yawning and James, well, he was still feeling nervous and thought he would hardly be able to sleep thanks to the new feelings he had developed towards Jessie.

The credits began to run and Jessie stood up, stretching and yawning

\- "What an exciting movie" she said out loud

Then she picked up the dishes and tossed them on the sink and woke up Meowth by poking on him

\- "Nya, what?" He complained

\- "Wake up you need to go to your bed, movie is over" Jessie said

\- "Did the bad guy won?" He asked after a yawn

\- "No…" she sighted

\- "Oh man…"

Then all of them went to their rooms, Meowth fell asleep as soon as his body touched the bed.

Jessie was preparing for bed, she brushed her teeth, hair, changed into her pajamas and then she finally tucked herself in, but she couldn't quite catch sleep… As well as James who was at his room sitting on his desk doing some research in his computer and a couple of magazines, checking everything about Kalos tourism, schedules, places, prices, everything. He was planning to runaway with Meowth and Jessie before Jessebelle arrived, then he would take Jessie to Lumiouse city and confess his love at the top of Prism Tower…

\- "Let's see… mhhm, 300 roses, pink champagne… yes"

He had everything ready, they would be out before Jessebelle arrive and he would be free and finally together with Jessie. He fell asleep with a smile on his face thinking about how amazing next day would be.

Jessie was at her room, trying her best to sleep but she couldn't stop thinking about James and what had happened between them that evening, she regretted with all her heart stopping him when he wanted to take things further, but she was scared of losing him or complicating thing between them, she knew she loved him, she'd always had.

During her life her relationships with men didn't went well at all, but James was different, even though she was a though woman, she loved the way he was so caring and always did his best to make her feel safe. She thought about talking to him tomorrow, she knew he liked her back, maybe something good could come out of their conversation, she fell asleep thinking about him as well.

It was nearly 4am when a woman knocked on the palace doors, she was wearing a long coat and hid her face behind a fan, she woke up Fredrick who opened the door or her, and let her in greeting her; it was Jessebelle!

She made her way to James room and managed to get in bed with him, he mistook her for Jessie as they were awfully similar and he was half asleep, he actually thought it was a dream so he welcomed her in his arms; they cuddled through the whole night.

Next morning Jessie woke up early and decided to surprise James by waking him up with a flower that she picked from the garden while she was out seeking for some fresh air, even though he hadn't said it, she knew he felt the same way about her, he had to! She opened his bedroom door and what she saw broke her heart, James, HER James was in bed with Jessebelle? How long had she been in the palace anyways!? Jessie knew that he was engaged but he always made it clear that he DID NOT liked his bride to be… but now, after seeing them like that she didn't knew what to believe. She ran out of the room dropping the flower, teary eyed.

She felt betrayed, angry, sad, empty… She didn't know what to do! She felt awful… She felt as she had misread James' behavior, she felt like a fool. Suddenly she realized that she definitely didn't belong to his world, she looked around her luxurious room, she thought about the behavior of the high society people; she would never fit in! She didn't came from a wealthy family as Jessebelle did, actually she didn't even had a family… all that she had was James and Meowth… more tears. She thought it would be better if she leaves, that way James could be happy with his fiancé so she did; she left without a word, leaving only a letter for him to read when it was too late to stop her.

She didn't needed his pity nor his charity so she took nothing but her uniform and her little backpack with her few belongings, she didn't even took the clothes and gifts James had bought her the day before at Camphrier Town.


	4. Chapter 4

Jessie had no idea of what to do next, her entire life was team rocket but now she had to go because she refused to ruin her and James' lives. She began to think about what to do next while walking through route 5… she still had some money from last month's payment so she knew she would be fine during the next week, but then what? She had no job, no home, no family nor friends and she was tired; she left the palace at 7 a.m. and it was nearly afternoon already.

She eventually arrived to South Boulevard at Lumiose city but after taking a look at how busy the city was and at the fast-paced lifestyle the people over there were living she decided she wasn't in the mood for that.  
She looked to the map in her PokéNav… Santalune city that was exactly where she was going next, she took a cab and finally relaxed for a while.

The cab cost her almost half of her money so she began to get worried, she looked around the place trying to figure out a plan; it was smaller and quieter than the capital and it was kind of homely so she felt a little better… she wandered around aimlessly admiring the beautiful pink flowers growing on the bushes that decorated the city streets; she past the roselia fountain, some cafeterias and parks and eventually she arrived to a boutique where she read the glorious words: "We are hiring" written on a poster placed on the window.

She smiled widely; she needed a new job and she would take almost anything but just when she was about to go in, she remembered she was still wearing her Team Rocket uniform and she knew that nobody would hire a criminal. Her smile disappeared and she turned around but just when she was about to leave, a girl break through the door to stop her. She looked almost the same age as Jessie; she had pale skin, reddish brown hair in a ponytail, and big brown eyes

\- "Hi!" She smiled widely "Are you here to apply for the job?"

\- "Huh? Oh well, actually…" Jessie seemed to be unsure of what to answer and before she could continue, the girl interrupted her…

\- "Great! She said cheerfully, we really, reaaally need some help at the store. Have you ever had a job before?" She asked looking at Jessie hopelessly

\- "Uhm… Yeah actually I´ve…" Jessie´s words were interrupted one more time by the girl's enthusiasm

\- "Come in and you can tell me everything about it!" The girl grabbed Jessie's arm and practically dragged her in the small building

Once they were in, the first thing Jessie noticed was the sweet smell of the cheri berry incense that was burning over the counter, next her attention fixed on the huge light blue chandelier that was located in the middle of the room's roof and illuminated the whole place, the fitting rooms doors were thick black curtains, the walls were painted grey and decorated with small mirrors in black frames. Both sat down in the light blue lounge seats that were right outside the fitting rooms and continued with their conversation

\- "So, did you bring your application?" The girl asked while looking at some papers she had grabbed from the counter seconds after they went inside

\- "Application? Oh no… sorry I guess I forgot" Jessie lied poorly

\- "Hmmm… ok don't worry, you can apply with the interview" She left the papers aside and turned to face Jessie "Tell me about your previous job, by the way my name is Briea,

I'm the manager" Briea extended her hand and Jessie shook it nervously.  
Damn! That question took Jessie by surprise, she was sure she didn't want to mention Team Rocket as a job because she knew that if she did not only she would lose her opportunity to get the job but she also would probably get into trouble if Briea decided to call the cops so she tried to remembered her other jobs…

\- "Well" She began, proud of herself "I've had plenty of jobs, let's see… I used to work for a TV station as the weathergirl and as an announcer of pokemon contests I even worked with Lilian Meridian once as her assistant" Jessie's eyes glowed as she remembered her pokemon contests days but soon came back to reality "also I was once a ninja and had a part time job as a janitor

\- "Ok, cool" Briea said with genuine amusement "only the prettiest girls ever make it to be the weather girl… mmh do you have any other abilities that could be useful for the company?"

\- "Well, I went to the pokemon nurse school so I know a thing or two about medical assisting, also I can ride a bike pretty well and I'm a pokemon coordinator, I've earned 5 ribbons" Her eyes shinned once again as she said the last sentence, maybe Jessie had lots of regrets in her life but she sure was proud about becoming a pokemon coordinator

\- "For real? That sounds so cool! I love pokemon contests…" Briea cried cheerfully. "You must be pretty amazing, ribbons are hard to win". Briea complimented and Jessie smiled at her with vainness. "Well I think you are pretty able for the job, this store specializes in selling hats, caps, fedoras and accessories so it's pretty simple". Briea stood up and continued speaking while pointing objects to show Jessie the store's arrangement. "You just have to ask the costumers what they need, stand near the fitting rooms and then charge them…" Briea paused her steps and became serious for a moment. "See Jessie I really need someone to help me out with that because I'm too busy with the inventory and unpacking new merchandise and my boss is really pushing me lately…" She seemed scared but soon she recovered her cheery personality. "So what do you say, would you like to work here?" Barbie asked while smiling with her eyes

\- "Sure thing, I'd be happy to help" Jessie answered and then hugged Briea, even though it was not her thing to go around hugging people, this time she was truly grateful

\- "You're welcome!" Briea smiled widely "here I'll teach you how to use the cash register" she told her breaking the hug  
Jessie couldn't believe her luck, it was merely 1 p.m. and she had already found a job! Everything was going out great, except for one thing… all her happiness went away when she remembered James. She got distracted by remembering their time together and how now all was over, she just couldn't believe it…  
\- "Jessie?" Asked a concerned Briea "did you hear what I said about cash payments and credit cards?"

\- "Huh? Oh yeah of course! Sorry, it's just… it's been a rough day, I'm really sorry" She answered coming back to reality

\- "Don't worry" Briea smiled "I will repeat it for you"  
She continued speaking and this time Jessie paid attention to her, the rest of her day consisted on practicing with the cash register, exploring the store and trying to learn the merchandise's prices by heart

* * *

Meanwhile, at the palace…  
\- "Jessie… "James mumbled still half asleep while pulling closer to him the girl that was sharing his bed

\- "Dear I don't like that nickname" Jessebelle frowned "I prefer to be called by my complete name: Jessebelle" the girl complained  
Hearing that name was enough to fully awake James whom opened his eyes widely, terrified to see that in fact, it was Jessebelle and not Jessie that he slept with  
\- "Jessebelle! You weren't supposed to arrive this early!" James wasn't even trying to hide his not so nice surprise as he stood up from the bed

\- "I know, but I couldn't wait to see you love. Aren't you happy that I'm here with you? Finally we will be able to get married" Jessebelle asked while pulling on his arm with a childlike excitement

\- "Get ma… married?" His eye twitched; then he suddenly remembered… Jessie! He had to take her and Meowth out of there before it was too late.  
James ran out of the room across the huge elegant hallway and shut open the door of which used to be Jessie's room. He could hear Jessebelle saying "You are not running properly" but he couldn't care less, all he wanted to do was to get Jessie and Meowth out and get away immediately but he soon realized that wasn't going to be possible because Jessie was gone!  
He didn't want to believe it, he could not believe it. He looked for her like crazy in her room, in the kitchen, in the gardens but nothing; she was nowhere to be spotted. He then returned to her room and searched for at least a clue of where she could've gone but the only thing he found was her letter which read.

 _To my partner in crime, James:_

 _They say that a picture is worth a thousand words; I guess it's true. After what I saw this morning, everything is finally clear to me._  
 _It was selfish from me to assume that we could ever be more than friends considering that you are an engaged man. I can only say that after all we've been through it's just was easy for me to misread you._

 _I want to apologize for what happened at Camphrier Town; I know I never showed it and I know this might be a little hard for you to believe but I just want you to be happy, even if it's not with me. That's why I'm leaving, but know that I'll carry you in my heart forever. Thank you for all these years and adventures_

 _P.S. Let me know if you and Meowth ever get to catch Pikachu._  
 _Yours truly, Jessica_

James couldn't believe his eyes, he wanted to find her. He NEEDED to find her, tell her she had it all wrong; tell her that he loves her that he always had but, how? She didn't tell him where she went and knowing Jessie she probably had already left the region.  
He left the room; first thing on his mind was to look for Meowth, explain to him the situation and ask for his help.  
Meowth was still sleeping when James entered his room and shook him anxiously

\- "Wake up Meowth, Jessie is gone!" James was freaking out

\- "Five more minutes" The cat said carelessly

\- "Meowth!" James cried and with that Meowth fully woke up

\- "Hey what's the matter?" He asked confused

\- "Meowth listen to me, Jessebelle is here; we need to leave! Also Jessie misunderstood uhm… something she saw… and now she is gone! We need to find her!" James was about to leave the room truly believing that Meowth would follow when the cat's word interrupted his steps

\- "Wait a minute… what did she saw and why is Jessebelle here? Did you call her?"

\- "Of course not! See Meowth… Jessie means the world to me... but now she is hurt and confused thanks to Jessebelle" James paused, his voice was breaking "No, actually it's not her fault, it's mine. I should've told Jessie before how I really feel" James take off his gaze from the floor to look at Meowth and then he asked "Can you help me find her, Meowth?"

\- "Of course Jimmy, dats what friends are for" Meowth answered offering a weak smile and James tried a failed attempt to smile back  
Jessebelle who was standing right behind the door heard everything and she was burning with jealousy and rage  
\- "So… my darling fiancé has been cheating on me? How dare him! Oh but I'll show him…" She said with a wicked expression on her face  
She walked away from the door and watched through the huge window as James and Meowth left the palace, she was convinced on following them to find out who Jessie was and of course to have a word or two with her after she finds her…

* * *

It was 9 p.m. already so the day was over for Jessie and Briea whom was counting the money and checking the tickets while Jessie was sweeping the store a bit  
\- "So Jessie, how did you liked your first day?" Briea asked, still looking at the tickets

\- "Mhh, I've got this" she winked

\- "I'm sure you do!" She smiled "by the way Jessie, look at the time! You know… our departure time is 9 p.m. and when we stay late the company pays us the cab ride, so should I call one for you? I only need your address"  
Jessie bit her lip, well she had a job now but she still didn't have anywhere to go. It was not like she cared, she had slept in park slides and parking lots before, but right now her main problem was she didn't know what to answer to Briea's request

\- "Uhm… well…" Jessie didn't knew what to say

\- "Jessie, come on just tell me your address" Asked Briea once again which exasperated Jessie

\- "Stop asking, it's annoying!" Jessie shouted at her but immediately regretted because not only Briea was the only one that had been kind to her during the whole but also she was her new boss  
After that, Briea backed off a little, she was worried about Jessie but she didn't want to annoy her anymore so she just continued doing the daily report quietly. Then, she called a cab for herself and finally spoke again…

\- "I'll be closing soon so uhm… I'll see you tomorrow at 11 a.m. please don't be late…"  
Briea left the store followed by a very quiet Jessie and when both of them were outside Briea locked the store's door

\- "Sorry for shouting at you…" Jessie spoke ashamed

\- "It's ok, don't worry about it" Briea answered staring at the ground, she was still serious

\- "It's just… I'm new in town and I still don't have anywhere to stay and the fact that you asked me my address stressed me out, I'm sorry I really should've not yelled at you"

\- "Hey why didn't you just tell me?" Briea looked at her, a very small smile on her lips "I know we've just met but if you'd like you can stay at my place…"  
Jessie was about to say no when it began to rain again, there was thunder and lightning, but there was no James to run to this time; logic told her to say yes but she was too stubborn and "needed no one's pity"

\- "Thanks but no, I guess I'll find a hotel room or something…" She answered swiftly

\- "Okay… well guess I'll see you tomorrow" Briea got in the cab thinking that probably Jessie would not show tomorrow to work  
Jessie watched the cab leave while raindrops began to fall which made her ran to find a roof to get shelter. While she was standing under the rain, she spotted an old hotel. She ran cross the street and went in immediately, it was cheap so she rented a room for a complete week; it also included breakfast so she thought that was more than enough.  
Jessie grabbed the keys to her room and immediately left the small lobby, she had to walked upstairs since the single elevator had a paper pasted on its door that had the words "out of order" written in huge black marker letters. Once she was in the second floor she walked through the long dark corridor, it looked dusty and the light was so dim it hardly illuminated her steps, she past some doors and as she did she could hear couples arguing, bizarre moaning, the sounds of some dumb TV commercial about toothpaste and a crying baby.

Homely… she thought sarcastically to herself as she slid the key inside the door knob and opened it so she could go in her new temporary home. She took a look around; the walls were yellowish, her bed was hard and covered by an old dark green blanket, one of the 2 lamps did not work and flashed the whole time, the bathroom was small, just a toilet, a sink and an old mirrored cabinet… She sighted, sure it was by far not the worst place she had stayed in but that didn't changed the fact that it was a pretty depressing place.

Jessie blew the dust off the mirror which made her cough for a while but after she recovered, she was able to look at herself. Thanks to the rain her clothes were completely soaked wet and her hair was down and frizzy, she thought about how different her life was just that morning. She would've never imagined her day would end up like that; she sighted and thought to herself that she had nothing, nothing in life to fight for; her hands covered her face and tears rolled down her checks. She lay on the bathroom floor, knees on her chest and sobbed for a while, remembering all the times that life had let her down, soon Jessie realized a very important thing; she still had something, she had herself. This was not the first time life had left her down and for sure it was not going to be the last time she would fight to make things ok.  
She decided that the first thing she needed to do to feel better was to change her outfit but how? She barely had money to pay for her room; she couldn't afford new clothes... Suddenly she had a great idea! She'd sew a new outfit out of her old uniform just as she did when she changed her and James' uniforms from black to white!

Not much could be done with the little pieces of fabric but at least she was able to remove the big red R from her chest. When she was done the results were a plain white V neck t-shirt with black sleeves, her normal white skirt and her boots, she decided she did not longer needed her gloves. She washed her clothes in the bathroom's sink and then hung them on a chair so they could get dry and be ready for tomorrow's work day. After she was done with that she decided it was time for her to take a long, warm shower.

As the warm water caressed her skin, Jessie couldn't stop thinking about how different her day was now that it was coming to an end from how it was when it just began, she couldn't believe the fact that she wouldn't be seeing James and Meowth anymore, sure they argued sometimes... ok, maybe a lot of times... and maybe their relationship was not perfect, not even close, but after all they were a little family, not by blood but by choice. And James... She remembered what happened at Shabboneau castle, as incredible as it seemed, James kissed her and she allowed it... Even Though at first she didn't knew how to feel or what to think, she eventually realized that she was, in fact, in love with James, it was as if all those feelings that she was trying to fight back through the years suddenly weren't able to be kept secret. She thought that everything would be fine, she really believed that James, in fact, loved her back but then everything became confusing... Jessebelle and James cuddled together, Jessie knew he was engaged but she also knew that it was a forced engagement so, what happened? Had he been lying to her through all of these years?

\- That's ridiculous, why would he? Why would he lie? she punched the corner shower's wall, tears rolled down her face as she began to sob violently

\- "Come on Jess don't be such a baby" She couldn't tell if she was angry or hurt but she was sure that she wanted to stop those feelings as soon as possible because they made her feel weak

Water continued to run over Jessie's skin as she tried her best to stop the panic attack that she was beginning to feel

* * *

Meanwhile James and Meowth were walking through the streets of Cyllage city, it was a warm and the sky was clear, a full white moon lighted up the night.

\- "Do you think we'll find her soon?" Asked a concerned Meowth to James

\- "I hope so, this is all my fault Meowth, if only I had told her the truth about my feelings before" James answered, his voice reflected no emotions at all

\- "Don't be so hard on yourself, we'll find her"

\- "I hope so" He answered he answered sharply

Meowth understood this was no time for talking so there was no answer from the furry pokemon as they continued walking quietly.

Eventually they arrived to a park; they sat at a bench still in silence and rest for a while. They hadn't eaten anything through the whole day and it was not as if they weren't used to doing things like walking all day under the sun without any food before but this time was different, they were not only physically tired but emotionally broken as well. It was really hard for both to believe that Jessie was really gone even though they were decided to find her.

After what seemed like ages, James finally broke the silence to ask Meowth if he could go find some food for both before handling him some money. Meowth agreed understanding that James needed some time alone.  
James didn't move from the bench, he was thoughtful trying to figure out where Jessie could've gone and praying that she was still in Kalos. He felt guilty because even though it was by force, he was already committed to a woman that he did love once, but not anymore. He wanted to be with Jessie more than anything else he had ever wanted and he couldn't stop think about what he'd say to her if he ever found her because everything that came to his mind felt lame, cliché and unfair.  
Meowth was back soon, carrying two white paper bags which contained their dinner a Crêpe Suzette for each. They ate halfheartedly and when they were done they decided to go to sleep.  
Meowth fell asleep first while James was staring at the sky, he could see Jessie in the stars

\- "Jessie I will find you, but until then I want you to know that as many times I blink I'll think of you… "James mumbled for himself not caring about the fact that she couldn't hear him.

James eventually fell asleep as well, he dreamt about those blue eyes he adored so much.  
Next morning Jessie woke up confused, her eyes hurt after crying all night but she was no cry baby and she was decided to face anything that could happen and continue with her life. She stood up from bed, put on her new clothes, her lipstick and then she left her room.

She walked downstairs and when she was about to leave, the receptionist stopped her to handle her an envelope with some coupons, at first she was distrustful, but to her glad surprise after she opened it and read what the coupons were for she realized that breakfast was included in her room price and that it was a buffet! Jessie quickly made her way to the dining room, it was not a very fancy one but it was enough for her. She had some scrambled eggs and a piece of toast; then she hid a pecha berry to eat it later at work because taking food to go was not allowed.

She was feeling alone as she walked to work so she released Wobbuffet and Gourgeist, she explained the best she could to them that they won't be seeing Meowth nor James nor any of the other pokemon anymore, at first they were sad but soon they forgot about it when Jessie changed the topic telling them that she hopefully will be making more money now and that as soon as she could she'd buy a lot of PokePuffs for them.  
She arrived to the boutique and Wobbuffet and Gourgeist returned to their poke balls, she opened the glass door and went in, followed by the ringing sound of a bell; Briea noticed her and waved happily at her- "Good morning, Jessie" she smiled

\- "Morning!" Jessie answered back

\- "I really thought you were quitting after well… you know what happened yesterday"

\- "Oh come on, I'm not a quitting type of person" Jessie said smugly

\- "Glad to hear that, by the way I love your new shirt!" Briea complimented her smiling with her eyes

\- "Thanks! I sewed it myself" Briea was impressed and then she continued speaking

\- "You know Jessie, the company have some uniform rules and even though they are not very strict we need to follow them" Briea handled Jessie two carrier bags with some clothing pieces inside and Jessie opened them immediately  
In one of them, she could see a pair of blue jeans, a plain blue tank top, a black cardigan and a hair band with a big black ribbon and in the other one, a box of shoes.

\- "you don't have to use all of those items daily as long as you combine one piece every day it should be fine" Briea continued explaining  
Jessie was happier than ever, Yay free clothes!

\- Thanks! These are nice, do you mind if I try them on in the fitting room? Jessie asked

\- Go ahead! Briea was happy that Jessie liked her clothes  
Jessie then went in the fitting rooms, she tried every piece and made sure they fit her well, she looked at herself in the mirror, today she didn't styled her hair as usual; she just let it down so she picked the hair band and put it on, she then decided that it was too hot to wear boots so she changed her shoes for the black ballerinas that she received as well.

\- "You look very pretty!" Briea said

\- "Thanks, I know" Jessie answered

\- "Sure you do…" Briea answered thinking that a little modesty wouldn't hurt "By the way, the company asked me to handle you this application because even though you already have the job they need you to fill it, you know just for protocol and rules"  
Jessie filled the application in silence while Briea brushed some fedoras

During the day they had to serve some customers, Jessie would charge them while Briea asked them if they needed any help to find the perfect article. Before they noticed, it was 6 pm already and no one was visiting the store anymore, they still had 3 more hours of work so Jessie was left in charge of the costumers and money while Briea was at the storage room behind the store working on the inventory, checking the new merchandise arrivals and opening some boxes  
Both girls grew bored quickly so they began to chat a little

\- "So Jessie" Briea spoke first, her voice sounded distant since she was speaking from the storage room "I read in the application that you filled this morning that you are from Kanto region. That's very far away, I've never been there, how is it like?"

\- "Well" Jessie answered while organizing the accessories' shelf "it's actually a very neat place, life in my hometown is a bit slower paced than it is here at Kalos"

\- "Cool! I guess that it was the perfect place for growing up, bet you had an amazing childhood" the girl answered still at the back of the store  
Briea didn't even imagine that she'd hit a very soft spot… Jessie wasn't sure if she should or should not share her story with Briea, she hesitated for a moment but then decided

that she would, after all, she was going to be stuck with her for a while so it didn't really mattered

\- "In fact I had an unbelievable childhood" Jessie said with a calm expression on her face "even though I grew up in a couple of orphanages and had to move a lot"

\- "Oh…" Briea realized that she probably shouldn't had asked

\- "But it was nice, at least I learnt a thing or two about life" Jessie smiled noticed it on her voice tone

\- "Glad to hear that, I like your attitude" She felt a little relieved when Jessie continued speaking

\- "I never met my father and my mom well…" Jessie wasn't ready to mention Team Rocket yet so after a small pause she lied a little "Because of her work as a… secret agent for the hmm… government, she was sent in a special mission to The Andes, she never came back so that's why I ended up under the care of public guardians. She was a great mother though; she always did her best to keep me safe. I miss her a lot Jessie grew serious and decided that it was enough sharing for the day "How about you, were you born here at Kalos or are you a foreigner too?"

\- "Sorry to hear that, but hey I bet your mom would be proud of you if she could see you now, I mean, you've came this far all by your own!" Briea tried to cheer her up and then she proceed to answer her question "I'm from Hoenn but I ran away from home when I was 17 years old, don't get me wrong, my family is awesome but it's just that… it just didn't worked, we didn't worked as a family you know? It was better for me to be apart from them" Briea tried to hide the pain in her voice but Jessie did noticed anyways

\- "I'm sorry" Jessie said

\- "Don't be" Briea answered trying to keep her usual optimistic attitude "After that I began my pokemon Journey and I've never been alone. Ever since I left, I've always had my amazing pokemon by my side, would you like to meet them? Briea asked

\- "Sure! And I can introduce you to mine as well" Wobbuffet, Gourgeist come out! She commanded and immediately her friends were standing in front of her greeting her

Briea walked out of the storage room into the store again to meet Jessie's pokemon

\- "Hello sweeties, how are you doing?" Briea asked with a smile to the pokemon as she lowered her body a little to face them "They are adorable Jessie"

\- "Thanks, I met my Gourgeist when she was just a Pumpkaboo, and I've been friends with Wobbuffet since I was traveling through Johto"

\- "Oh I see, well I hope they'd like to be friends with my pokemon too. Everyone come out!" Briea commanded as a whole team of 6 pokemon filled the small boutique

Briea's team was composed by Blaziken, Aurorus, Serperior, Milotic, Sylveon and Altaria

Jessie's eye twitched as she questioned herself how was it possible for her to have such pokemon being so young, and why was she working as a mere manager if she was that strong? An evil grin formed on her lips, she thought about making a plan to steal Briea's pokemon but she then came back to reality. She remembered she was no longer a Team Rocket member, that her days as a criminal were over and that Briea was her friend so she forgot it and answered the best she could to hide her real thoughts

\- My, your pokemon are so strong! Jessie said lifting her head to stare at the huge Aurorus that was standing in front of her

\- "Thanks, I think that's because we trust each other" Briea smiled

\- "Pokemon sure are amazing, they are the best of friends!" Jessie said smiling at Wobbuffet and Gourgeist

\- "Yeah" Briea agreed

\- "By the way, did you found a place to stay?" Briea asked

\- Oh, yes… "Jessie remembered her horrible new room" I did, I'm staying at a hotel near the store

\- Great, I'm glad that you'll be staying near

\- Yeah, and how about you? Do you own a place?

\- "Well, kind of… I rent an apartment near the roselia fountain It's small but it sure is enough" Briea explained

\- Sounds cool!"

\- "Yeah… thanks" Briea answered  
Both girls chatted all evening and soon they became friends.

Next week consisted mainly on Jessie working, sleeping, eating breakfast and stealing some food from the buffet, chatting with Briea and crying a bit or maybe a lot. James' week consisted on traveling the whole region eating a little and crossing spots on the map.

\- Let's see Meowth we've looked through central and costal Kalos, we need to go to mountain Kalos next, our first stop is… Santalune! James said


End file.
